Improvement in button-hole cutters



T B. DOOLlTTLE.

Improvement in Button-Hole Cutters.

I No. 131,085. Patented Sep.3,187 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE THOMAS E. DOOLITTLE, OF BRIDGEPOBT,CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO DOOLITTLE MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN BUTTON-HOLE CUTTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 131,085, datedSeptember 3, 1872.

SPECIFICATION.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS B. DOOLITTLE, of Bridgeport, of the county ofFairfield, in the State 'of Connecticut, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Button-Hole Cutters; and I do hereby declare thatthe following is a full and exact description thereof, referencebeinghad to the accompanying drawing making part of this application.

My invention has for its object the production of a shielded or coveredwedge-shaped button hole cutter, provided with a novel means of securingthe covering-plates together and forming at the same time suitable thumband finger plates for moving the knife or cutter, and having the shieldso shaped at the grasp end as to facilitate the handling of theinstrument and prevent liability of cut,- ting the fingers; and to theseends my invention consists in the use, in connection with a slidingwedge-shaped knife and correspondingly-shaped and slotted shield orcover, of thumb and finger-plates, which retain and by which is movedthe cutter; and my invention further consists in forming the shield orhandle of the instrument with depressions and projecting portions at oneend to facilitate the handling of the instrument and prevent liabilityof cutting the fingers, as will be hereinafter more fully explained.

To enable those skilled in the art to'make and use my improvedbutton-hole cutter, I will proceed to more particularly describe itsconstruction and operation, referring by letters to the accompanyingdrawing forming part of this application, and in which- Figure l is anelevation of the instrument with its cutter inclosed. Fig.2 is a similarview, with the cutter protruding as it would be for use in cutting thematerial. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section at the line w as of Fig. 1,and Fig. 4 is a cross-section at the line y In the several figures thesame part is designated by the same letter of reference.

A is'the cutter, which I propose to make of sheet steel, in the shapeshown, and perfectly sharp (to cut) on one edge and square or dull onthe opposite edge, as seen at b and c, Fig. 4. D is a shield or coverformed of two pieces of sheet metal united at or near one end only andslotted at 6, between which the cutter A is arranged to slidelongitudinally, as will be presently explained. One end of each of thesides of shield D is turned up at f, and these turned-up portionsconstitute a stop to prevent the entrance of the shield D into the cutmade by the knife A. The cutter is held in place laterally between thesides of shield D by means of clasp 9, through which and said cutterpass rivets t, as illustrated. These plates 9 are bent up slightly ateach end, so that when held between the thumb and finger (of theoperator) for the manipulation of the sliding cutter the persons fingerswill not slip off. easily. Upon one side (orboth sides) of thecover orshield D and along the slot therein is formed a graduated scale, towhich one of the clasp-plates 9 may be set to determine or gage theextent of protrusion of the cutterpoint beyond the stop f, and thisscale is so graduated as to indicate the width of the cutter at thatpart which protrudes beyond the stops f, and thus determines the lengthof the cut made. The cover or shield D serves also as a handle in usingthe instrument, and it is so shaped with projections at m and recessesat n as to afford a ready opportunity to the user to grasp and hold thehandle or shield between the thumb and finger of one hand, while, withthe thumb and finger of the other hand, the sliding cutter is drawn outor pushed in. This shape of the butt or hand end of shield D isimportant to avoid accident by grasping the edges of the shield too lowdown and cutting the fingers in sliding out the knife A. The shield D ismade tapering in its con-.

tour to correspond with the outline of the knife, and so that nounnecessary amount of material will be used in its manufacture. Thistapering shape, it will be understood, could not be given to the shieldwere it not formed, as shown, with open edges, to permit the'protrnsionof the base (or widest part) of the knife A. The edges of shield D maybe corrugated, as shown, or made in any other pattern or design, itbeing essential, however, that that portion beyond or back of the baseof the knife (when the latter is pushed in) be shaped substantially asshown and described, to afford a ready means of holding on withoutdanger of placing the thumb and finger too low down on the edges of theshield, (where the edge of the knife, near its base, can come out andcut the fingers.) I have shown the stops f formed on both sides, and bysimply bending up the stock of which the sheet-metal cover D is formed;but it will be understood that a stop may be otherwise formed, so as toprevent the (thin) body of the shield D from entering the cut made bythe knife, and so as to determine the extent which the knife shall enterthe material.

By the combination of a shield formed of sheet metal, slotted, and aknife embraced between the sides of said shield, as shown and described,a simple, efficient, and convenient instrument is made; and by thecombination, with the shield, of stops and a scale, as shown anddescribed, the entrance of the cutter is determined and regulated at thepleasure of the user, and so that the slits may be cut to any desiredprecise length.

In the use of my improved instrument, the knife A, having been pushed(or pulled) out by taking hold at m m with the thumb and finger of onehand and applying the thumb and finger of the other hand to the claspsg, the point of the knife 'A is inserted at the point on the materialwhere the slit is to start, and with the sharpened edge I) of said knifetoward the part which is to be out; then, by pressing the instrumenttoward the material, a slit will be cut of the desired length, asexplained. The length of the out will be deter mined by the stop fcoming against the surface of the material and the width of that part ofthe knife which happens to be close to the stop f, and consequently thewidth of the slit cut will be indicated by the scale marked on theshield D. The sides of the shield D should have a slight tendency tospring together at their unfastened ends, and the shield, knife andclasp-plates g should be so united as to insure a proper amount offriction to keep the knife in when the instrument is closed up.

Having so explained my improved buttonhole cutter that skilled personscan make them and the public use them, what I claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent isr 1: In combination with the knife andshield, clasp-plates g, which confine the parts to each other, as shownand described, formed with projecting ends, as specified.

2. The peculiar shape of the grasp end of the shield with depressionsand projections, as shown, so that all danger of grasping it at adangerous locality will be avoided, as hereinbefore explained.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 7th day of March,1872.

T. B. DOOLIT'ILE.

In presence of- CHAS. E. WARREN, J. FELBEL.

